Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 05, 2017:  Toyota Fortuner, the highly popular seven-seat SUV, bagged Wheels’ Readers’ Choice Award at the ninth Wheels Car of the Year ceremony, the UAE’s largest independent automotive awards, held recently for the automotive industry in the UAE.

Saud Abbasi, Managing Director of Toyota at Al-Futtaim Motors, said: “With the medium SUV segment contributing to the growth of the automotive industry in the UAE, the Fortuner has proven to be a key player for Toyota. It’s no surprise that the new Fortuner, with its fully redesigned exterior and interior styling, has become so popular since its launch last year, and we would like to thank the thousands of voters that brought this award home to Toyota.”

Renowned for its durability, on-road comfort and off-road prowess, the new Fortuner features a more distinctive, sleek and powerful design with improved driving dynamics and fuel consumption, as well as a wide variety of features for additional convenience, safety and ride comfort.

The exterior has been completely overhauled, and the new Fortuner now stands longer, wider and lower.  The large, slanted upper grille is framed by thick chrome plating that extends around the sleek, aggressive Bi-beam LED headlamps with integrated Daytime Running Lights (DRL), while the prominent trapezoidal front bumper creates a sense of depth.

The Fortuner’s ample cabin space is complemented by superb convenience features, culminating in a sublime driving experience. The interior exhibits the toughness of an SUV, tempered with the elegance of a premium sedan. Soft-touch textures and exquisite chrome detailing liberally pepper the cabin, all beautifully harmonising with the clear blue interior illumination.

The new Fortuner enjoys a 6-speed automatic transmission which maximises engine potential and multi-stage gears optimised to improve drive force in the low-speed range. The car is available in a 2.7-litre four-cylinder engine which produces 164hp and 24.9 Kg-m of torque and the 4.0-litre V6 engine, which churns out 235hp and 38.3 Kg-m of torque.

The Fortuner is equipped with comprehensive safety systems, including Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) for the front seats along with a knee airbag for the driver, and three-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) seatbelts are equipped on all seats.

The new Fortuner is available in 8 exterior colours across all Al-Futtaim Motors showrooms, with prices starting at AED 109,900 for the 2.7L EXR, and AED 129,900 for the 4.0L GXR and AED 145,000 for the top of the line 4.0L VXR.